For Your Eyes Only
by tarsido
Summary: Kaito gets a phone message from an unknown number. Piqued, he replies and forms a surprising connection. Pre- KaiShin.
1. A song swallowed up in leaves

**For Your Eyes Only**

Summary: Kaito gets a phone message from an unknown number. Piqued, he replies, and forms a surprising connection. Pre- KaiShin.

Romance

Rating: T, slight references to mature content

Disclaimer: Do not own, and all locations and occurrences are fictional.

I had withdrawn in forest, and my song  
Was swallowed up in leaves that blew alway;  
And to the forest edge you came one day

-Excerpt from A Dream Pang by Robert Frost

* * *

Chapter 1: A song swallowed up in leaves

It was a jingle that caught his attention first. He wandered around his table, pushing aside the haphazard piles of papers and stationery. _Ah, there it is._ He fished up his phone from the skinny little gap between the wall and the back of the table. How troublesome, he wondered how it ended up in such an unlikely location. He swiped at the screen with a thumb and frowned. It was from an unknown number.

_We need to talk. I'm so sorry, but I don't think things can go on like this anymore. I've been gone for too long and we keep dancing around each other like this. Please, please answer me._

His eyebrows went up. What a careless sender. Punching in the wrong number for such a private message… Well, he could have some fun before telling the truth. He mentally rubbed his hands with glee.

_That can't be true! I've been waiting for you all this while! Please don't give up on us so quickly, I'll do anything, I swear! (If you buy me a diamond ring, a vacation to the Bahamas and maybe a pony. Hey, we're all materialistic souls.)_

The reply came almost instantaneously.

_What the? Who the fuck are you?_

_Aww, you found out so quickly! Well, why are you still standing around staring at your phone? Resend your message to the right person this time, go buy flowers and chocolates, and prepare for them to be smashed into your face. The clock is ticking~_

_Er- okay. I'll deal with you later. Thanks._

Kaito quirked an eyebrow humourously, feeling particularly whole affair was odd, but curiously interesting. He flipped his phone shut, flung it carelessly onto his desk (where it bounced off the wall with a clack and fell back down the gap between the wall and the desk), then stretched, and fell back onto the bed. He was asleep in the matter of seconds.

* * *

Kaito looked around, bored. He had been waiting for Aoko and Hakuba, but he had arrived twenty minutes earlier because of unusually smooth traffic (There was a traffic light that kept turning red that Kaito was absolutely sure had no purpose. Everyone complained about it but no one wanted to report it, as usual.), and now he didn't have anything to do, except stand around awkwardly. He considered plaguing Aoko or Hakuba with random messages, then grinned mischievously. He had a better idea.

_Hey, so what happened with your talk? Did your girlfriend dump you?_

He sent it, then frowned in consternation. The other person might not read the message until it was too late. Even worse, he might ignore the message. The thought lit an indignant fire under Kaito. No one ignored him! He resolved to send creative messages every hour until the other person replied. Or every half an hour?

A jingle sounded and he grinned. Luckily, the poor person had been spared.

_It's none of your business. And she's not my girlfriend, not that it's any of your business._

_I see, so it went badly, huh. My sympathies. What did you get her? I really like that Death by Chocolate cake from Ekoda's cafe, Mad Tea Party. It's really to die for. I would definitely agree if someone proposed to me with that cake. Mm. Yum._

_My cream puffs are just fine! That café has the longest queues ever; unless you go early in the morning when they have just opened for the day. And what do you think you're doing, randomly revealing things about yourself to strangers? Haven't you heard about safety? What if I was a kidnapper or a robber, trying to learn about your routines before striking? Honestly, stop being so careless. I can't believe you just randomly decided to message a random person._

_Well, you replied… Alright, let's introduce ourselves! I'm Cam Gain the First, and I don't have a girlfriend. There, you know me now. You don't want to be rude and leave me hanging, do you? Do you?_

_Cam Gain the First? That's how you want to play it? Fine… I'm a Deceit Vet and shut up about the whole girlfriend business already._

_There, so we aren't strangers anymore! And my my, how clever~ But you know, what makes you think I'm not the one who's trying to pull one over you? I could be a vengeful ghost of a girl who is out to haunt every miserable bastard of a boyfriend who dares to break up with his girlfriend by cellphone messages. And you could be my next victim. :D_

… _You're so ridiculous. Firstly, you've been using masculine pronouns ever since you texted me. Unless that's some outlandish conspiracy theory to wind me up, which I honestly wouldn't be surprised at, coming from you. Secondly, the existence of ghosts is completely illogical. Thirdly, I just give up the point about the girlfriend, I'm tired of typing it. Actually, I just admit defeat here, why are we having this conversation?_

_Because I'm bored._

_Go hunting for unicorns. That should be in your line of interest, isn't it? Strange, illogical and fantastic things._

_Oooh, touché. What about your lines of interest? What are they, being target practice for cream puff projectiles? Breaking girls' hearts? Maybe nagging at little children about stranger danger?_

_How about attempting to strangle someone psychically through a telecommunication device? How's that for you?_

_9 points for creativity! No bonus points for using an extra pretentious word, sorry. But illogical. Tsk, tsk, I thought you're supposed to be the sane one here? There's not enough space for the two of us, buddy._

_That's a sane reaction to you._

The cellphone was seized out of Kaito's hands. He made a wild flail for it, but was confronted with Aoko's furious face and Hakuba's coolly curious one. "Kaito, we were calling for you! How long do you plan on keeping us waiting?" Aoko did a strange little dance involving a lot of arms waving and rhythmic feet stomping, scowling at Kaito. Kaito watched in avid fascination.

He blinked slightly, then recovered. Sliding an arm around Aoko to push her along, he made a puff of smoke appear, then quickly swapped the phone with a rose while she was startled. "Hey, I was the one waiting here while you took your time to arrive," he complained. "Where's the sympathy for me?" He sniffed dramatically. "I was sad. And alone. Surrounded by the rushing crowd-"

"You were most certainly not sad," Hakuba refuted with a half-smile. Kaito slid him a narrowed eye glance. While Hakuba seemed to have mellowed down on the KID accusations front over the years, content to give him curiously suspicious, but non-hostile glances once in a while, Kaito couldn't relax around him quite yet. He was too sharp for Kaito to really let his guard down around him. Still, Kaito didn't quite find him as unbearable as he did when he still harassed Kaito about his suspicions. "You were smiling at your phone as you typed." He clarified. "A friend, probably?"

"Oooh." Aoko leant forwards, peering curiously at his phone as if she could somehow psychically read the content of the messages and the identity of his mysterious sender. "Who is it, Kaito? A classmate?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. An even more bewildered look came over both of their faces, although Aoko's was tempered with irritation and Hakuba's curiousity. "Let's just go, go! We're going to be late for our reservations, aren't we?" He redirected the conversation, wondering why he wasn't more concerned about the identity of his mysterious correspondent.

* * *

_I think you'd be telepathic._

_I'm sorry? What bizarre epiphany did you just have?_

_Your superpower! If you had a superpower, you'd definitely be a telepathic. :D Or maybe precognition. Then again you might already have it. Your freaky way of knowing when my classes are… Are you sure you're not a secret superhero?_

_It is most certainly not a superpower. Your underdeveloped brain might not be able to comprehend this, but it's something called 'deduction'. You admitted yourself that you don't use your phone often, and your messages usually start in the early morning, with a one hour absence for lessons, before you contact me again during the break, and again after the lesson stops. After which, you presumably arrive at home, get distracted and forget about me until the next day. And the cycle continues. _

_Oh, I see, you were waiting for me huh? Well, never let it be said that I neglect my audience! ;D I won't keep you waiting anymore~ Message me anytime, I promise I'll reply!_

_Wait, I don't even- I'm sorry, did you just sent the message to the right person? Please dial 110 to send your entry to the worst pick-up line contest._

_So cold… You hurt my tender feelings, you know? But if you were telepathic, you'd already know that of course~_

_But I'm not telepathic, so I don't know where you're going with this. Telepathy would be useful though. Urgh, people I know are so complicated._

_You don't know what you're talking about! Flying is the best thing ever. And people never do say what they really think and feel. Most of people don't even know what they want. Ah well, life isn't meant to be easy that way~_

_That is… surprisingly profound, coming from you. I might reconsider my earlier opinion of you having no brains after all. And I shudder to think what some people would do with an ability like telepathy._

_You're finally realizing my awesome! Praise me more! :D And no worries, I completely trust you won't spill my secrets. You'd definitely use the Force for good!_

_Thanks for believing that I won't misuse a fictional, nonexistent ability…_

_Letting you know I'll always be on your side~ ;D_

"You've been on your phone a lot lately," Aoko observed. Her eyes sparkled with interest, and she whipped around and grabbed Kaito forcefully by the shoulders, stopping him short. Kaito squeaked and tried not to fall over. "Is it a girlfriend?" She grinned, moving her face even closer to Kaito's. Kaito tried to scramble away, but Aoko had backed him into a wall. "It must be right? You do those weird little expressions when you message her. Like you're trying not to smile."

Kaito fought the urge to check the mirror instinctively. He did that? He resolved to stiffen his face unnaturally next time. Or put on his Poker Face. Whichever was more effective in fending off suspicions from too observant best friends. _Shit_, was she taking lessons from Hakuba? He knew the jerk would be trouble for him even when he wasn't around to perpetrate it. "Now-" He tried to sink downwards to get away from her, but it only granted him six more inches of space. "_Tell me._ Who's the unlucky girl?"

Kaito coughed and forced a blush. "Why, Aoko," He placed his hand on her shoulder, fluttering his fingers delicately. He batted his eyelashes, and lowered them shyly. "I didn't think you thought of me like that, but if you're jealous, I'm sure I can make an exception for you-" He dodged just in time and stared in horror. The metal frame they were leaning against now boasted a deep crater, the size of one Nakamori Aoko's shopping tote.

"And here I was being considerate!" Aoko snarled, pointing an accusatory finger at Kaito. Shoppers slowed down their pace to stare. Mothers hustled their children by.

"How is menacing me being considerate?" Kaito edged away, keeping a good distance from Aoko and her tote. He also kept an eye on her hands in case she made a lunge for anything else. Over the years, Aoko's ability to turn ordinary objects into dangerous weapons of destruction had only increased. He could only despair as he imagined her in the KID Task Force. Still, things weren't quite at the critical stage yet. He didn't think she had brought any f-f-f-finny things. He hoped.

She paused and thought briefly. He relaxed. Good, just keep her distracted, he chanted mentally. "Well, if you'd just say then I wouldn't get mad," Aoko said sulkily. Kaito gaped slightly- who was the one being threatened? She continued, "I'm just curious, you know? I won't tease or anything. It's great if you're interested in someone." She stared up at him expectantly.

Kaito melted like butter on a hot day. That devious girl! She knew that he had a soft spot for that look! He relented, "It's not a girl." He amended quickly, catching Aoko's widening eyes, "It's not like that! Er- Actually, can we put this off for another day?" A deep frown marred Aoko's features. He raised his hands up quickly, trying to exude as much innocence as he could. She looked unconvinced. He tried to channel the spirit of a kicked-and-abandoned puppy. _Damn it_, this was definitely Hakuba's fault. He was going to need to enter the Witness Protection Program to save his reputation after Kaito was done with him the next time he returned from London. He held back a cackle. Seeing Aoko's suspicious look deepen, he quickly dampened his vengeful aura with thoughts of puppies and kittens.

Unexpectedly, she said, "_Fine_," and turned around to walk off in the direction of the shops. He gawked unattractively for a few seconds, before sprinting to catch up. He stared at her unobtrusively from the corner of his eye. It was an unusual day when Aoko let go of something she was truly curious in.

"But you're telling me someday, okay?" She spun around and held out a pinky with a glare that could frighten grown men into submission.

Kaito valiantly held out. He had been subjected to many ferocious glares in his time after all, including the other Nakamori who probably taught this one in front of him everything and more on how to intimidate people into cowering at her feet. "Alright, alright… Jeez, pinky swears? You're still doing childish things like that? No wonder you don't have a boyfriend, Aoko…" He winced at the answering bellow, but hooked his pinky finger around her slender one.

He mentally apologized to Aoko. It was a rather small and inconsequential secret to keep, especially compared to the KID revelation he wasn't sure how he'd ever tell Aoko, if ever- but somehow he had wanted to keep the mysterious writer as his only, like a child hugging a delicious secret.

* * *

_Tokyo Bomb Case diffused by College Detective! The bombing scare involved many locations in Tokyo, but only the initial bomb in Ekoda Shopping Mall was set off, thanks to the quick wits of Beika's resident college detective, Kudou Shinichi…_

"Look," Kaito called, "We're in the news!" He kicked Aoko's chair and flashed the phone screen at her.

"Don't do that!" Aoko threw a bit of eraser at him which he masterfully dodged, before leaning over curiously. "Oh yeah! Dad was worried about that last night, but I told him we were fine. The bomb was on a different level from us anyway, and they managed to get everyone away in time." She rocked on her chair, eyes wide. The chair legs squeaked in protest as she tilted precariously. "But that guy who solved it really is awesome, isn't he? I can't believe we're the same age as he is!"

He tore his eyes away from the photograph. Kudou looked tired and slightly haggard. It was grainy, but Kaito thought he could almost see the stress lines between his brows. He shrugged and answered flippantly, "He probably had a ton of help working on it. Look at him; he looks like he'd be carried away if there was a strong breeze."

Aoko frowned and pelted another eraser bit at him. He ducked and it hit Sakai behind him who looked up from his book in bewilderment. Kaito and Aoko instantly began a heated debate about abortion. Sakai turned back to his book, a puzzled frown affixed on his face. "Don't be mean! He's done a lot of work for the police. My father isn't in the same department as he is, but he says there are a lot of good reports coming from Department 1 about Kudou." Aoko raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Makes you wonder how he has time for work and study, huh? Maybe he doesn't sleep." She laughed easily, turning back to her papers.

Kaito laughed absently too, but his eyes lingered over the photograph thoughtfully.

* * *

_Wow that was a close shave! Did you hear about the Ekoda bombing?_

_What about it?_

_My friends and I were there on that day! Thankfully, no one was hurt :D_

_What! Oh God… Did you hear if anyone was injured? I'm so sorry._

_I think everyone was evacuated in time. And why are you sorry, you aren't the bomber. Are you?_

_Don't be ridiculous. And I'm just sorry the whole thing happened, that's all. The bomb should have been found earlier._

_As Shakespeare said, shit happens. Life goes on~_

_What? I've never heard of that quotation from him before._

_Neither have I. But he could have said it~ In any case, don't worry. Even so, I definitely won't let things get too bad. I have people I want to protect too._

_I don't want to know. Psh, yeah right. How can you? These nutcases are armed._

_I have my ways~ Believe me :D_

_Heh, I didn't think you were that kind of people after all. Those kinds of people who say a lot of mysterious and cool things, like they're acting in a movie._

_I always thought I was the star of the show! You shouldn't underestimate me~_

_Like the secret superhero you keep saying I am? Are you trying to draw attention off you and onto me?_

_Why now, I thought you knew me better. I never reject any kind of attention._

_As long as that attention doesn't come from being a terrible fashion victim._

_Don't worry about that, my style is so much better! I'll never wear spandex, I promise._

* * *

Kaito took off his silk top hat slowly in the car. He huffed slightly- another night passed by with no sign of Pandora. He exchanged cursory greetings and evaluations of the heist with Jii, and Jii lavished on him the customary fussing and worries. But both of them know that however much Jii tried to convince Kaito not to, he wouldn't stop being KID, any more than Nakamori would suddenly have a change of heart and start lauding KID on national television.

Kaito shuddered from tip to toe. He decided to think of something more pleasing. A curious spark lit in him.

_Hey, what do you think of Kaitou KID?_

_He's a thief. What else?_

Kaito pouted. That wasn't very fun at all! Or flattering for his ego.

_But he's so special, isn't he? He still hasn't been caught for more than 3 years! And he's an awesome magician. Not quite as awesome as me, but what can you expect?_

_I see humility isn't to be expected from you at least. And I'm not sure it's good to praise a criminal for getting away from the police! Just whose side are you on?_

_KID's of course. I'm his greatest fan. And everyone loves him!_

_I can think of a few people who will disagree rather strongly…_

_My opinion is the most important here! Mine!_

_Alright, alright, if you insist. Why bother asking anyone if you think you're the only one who matters?_

_I'm spreading my ideology, that's what! Are you a believer? :D_

_Pft, no way. Good luck with that. It's late, you should rest. Good night._

_You better not be doing more work again! You should rest too. Too much work and no play makes Jack a dull boy~_

_I'm already very boring, according to a friend, so I don't think I can get much worse. Thanks anyway._

_GO TO SLEEP! _

_NO, Captain Capslock. It's just 12 AM. I have work to do. Good night._

Kaito frowned nastily at the reply. Dismissing him when he was merely being concerned for that guy's health, the nerve! It was outrageous, it was.

He flopped over on the bed and flung the phone blindly onto the desk. (Without opening his eyes, he knew that the phone fell down that irritating gap. He'd fix it when he became un-lazy enough to remember to.) He determinedly pressed his face into his comfortable pillow and tried to sleep.

At 12:38 AM, he stormed over to the desk, wrestled out the phone, and jabbed at the keys with clumsy fingers.

_GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!_

At 12:40 AM, his phone jingled.

_YOU WOKE ME UP, YOU BASTARD. YOU GO TO SLEEP._

Smiling smugly, he rolled back onto the bed. By 12:44 AM, he had fallen back asleep.

* * *

_I had a strange dream today._

It set off Kaito's alarms. Usually, it pleased him when his mystery correspondent started a conversation between them, as Kaito was normally the one to first start the exchange. However, something about this just seemed ominous. He continued reading. The traffic splintered around him, like a river coursing over a fallen stone.

_Actually, I've been having them for a while. It usually comes when I have a particularly bad case- when I come too late to save a victim, or something like that. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does, I dream about it sometimes. This time, it was about drowning. _

Kaito paled. He didn't particularly like to hear anything that was possibly related to his only horrors. He steeled himself and read on. This was a cry for help, it was. And he wasn't going to look the other way.

_Popular belief dictates that drowning is peaceful. I have no illusions. Drowning is messy, painful and takes much longer than people imagine. And I drown and drown until I wake up gasping. I don't even remember when the dreams begun._

_It's fitting, isn't it? I always knew I'm not the kind of person who's going to die peacefully in my sleep. I don't_

Kaito's brows furrowed. The message stopped there. Worry spiked in his gut, like a sharp blade slowly slicing him open. Surely he didn't do anything rash- He punched in a reply rapidly.

_Hey, are you there? Reply now!_

He waited, his heart in his throat. A familiar jingle.

_Sorry, I was a bit shaken up and wasn't thinking clearly. Ignore that._

He snorted. Not a chance.

_I thought you respected me more than that. 'Ignore me', pft, who would?_

The next message took a while. _It's not that I believe it in the day time. But at night, after a bad case…_

_I see. I can't pretend to know how it's like. But please, please promise me you'll get help if it gets more than you can handle._

Kaito waited again. A grumble and some dirty looks from the faceless crowd bumping by him reminded him to move over to the side, where he'd be less of a hindrance to traffic. Somehow, it seemed as though he'd been waiting a lot ever since he start talking to this mysterious person, he mused.

The phone jingled. He snapped it open, eyes moving jerkily over the printed words, then relaxed. Good. He'd promised.

… _You believe me?_

_Why wouldn't I?_

Time stretched hugely over the ticks of his watch. Kaito leant against the grey, pockmarked concrete patiently, eyes on the bloody skyline. He wondered idly if his writer was watching the sunset too.

…_Thanks._

* * *

"You're doing it again," Aoko nodded at his phone. "Staring at it like it'd give birth."

He made a face. What would a phone's children look like? And who'd _dare_ to impregnate his phone? How would a phone get pregnant anyway? He started to snicker.

"What is it?" Aoko stared at him untrustingly.

"Phone sex," he choked out.

"Urgh, grade school humour," Aoko muttered disgustedly. She started a conversation with Hakuba pointedly, leaving Kaito to laugh himself silly.

And then Hakuba just had to ruin his fun, because he was a jerk like that.

"He was probably waiting for a message from his friend," Hakuba said calmly, with a sip of his tea. "The one he's been talking with. The first recorded conversation we witnessed was 3 months, 23 days, 3 hours, 14 minutes and 43.06 seconds ago, approximately. It is surprising that you have maintained such a lasting relationship with someone, and yet we haven't seen hide or hair of the person yet." He observed with a clinical eye.

Kaito fought not to twitch. Be nice, for the sake of your chocolate fudge cake, Kaito told himself sternly. If you insulted him too much, Aoko might get mad and try to decapitate both of them with a dessert knife and they'd be thrown out of the restaurant and won't get their food. Mm, chocolate fudge cake. He wondered if he should add a triple tier brownie to his order.

Aoko blanched and tried to bash herself unconscious headfirst against the table. "Oh my God, you're not having _phone sex_ with your girlfriend, are you? _You did not just think of having phone sex while sitting at a table with me!"_

Kaito was appalled. Hakuba looked nauseous. "I was not! I was thinking of- er, never mind... But I'd never think of having phone sex with him around," Kaito jabbed a thumb at Hakuba, who was turning alarmingly green. "Urgh- Just turns off the mood."

"Good," Hakuba managed. "Can we stop talking about this now? I never want to think about Kuroba and sex in the same sentence _ever._" Hakuba shivered.

Kaito grumbled, stirring his drink moodily in quick circles. The ice clacked noisily. "No one was thinking of it before stupid Aoko said it. Besides, I told you it's not a girl!"

Aoko blinked at him. "Oh, my bad. So, a boyfriend?"

"_NO._"

Hakuba stared at him distrustfully. "Have you ever-"

Kaito uttered a short scream and tried to scratch his eyes out. "NEVER."

Hakuba looked relieved.

"It's just a friend." He said quickly, before anyone else could interrupt him and make strange assumptions.

Aoko and Hakuba looked enlightened. "You should have said so first then," she said reproachfully.

When did I have the chance to?Kaito thought hysterically.

"So, who is it?" Aoko clucked her tongue like an overprotective mother hen. "When will we meet him?"

Why am I getting strange vibes from this, Kaito wondered suspiciously. He shrugged nonchalantly, "Ah, about that…" He explained.

"Wait, you've known him for so long, but you still don't know who he is?" Aoko exclaimed disbelievingly, eyes huge.

Hakuba looked thoughtful. "I could help you find out," he offered. "Something like this is no challenge for me really." He preened subtly.

Kaito felt a prickle of irritation. Hakuba was infringing on his spotlight! He tried to deflate him. "If I really wanted to know, I'd find out on my own," he scoffed, affecting an air of mystery. He was pleased at Aoko's gape. "Right now, isn't it more interesting if I don't know?"

"Not really," Hakuba looked unimpressed. That bastard. He was probably the kind of person who liked reading spoilers for shows, instead of just watching it to the end like a decent human being. No appreciation for a good surprise, really.

"That's right, you should be more careful," Aoko's brows were knitted together in a crease of worry. "What if it's a creepy stalker?"

Kaito and Hakuba snorted. "I'd be more worried for the stalker than Kuroba." Hakuba muttered, downing his tea with a prissy pinky finger stuck out. "The stalker won't know what'll hit him." Kaito scowled at Hakuba.

"Stop talking about him like that," he ordered, pointing his striped straw at them gravely. "He's not a stalker or a crazy or- Oooh! Dessert!" He was instantly distracted, as the aromatic chocolate dish was placed in front of him. He dug in with fervor. Ah, my first and greatest love, he exalted delightedly. Finally, fate has brought us together! Once together, we shall never be parted-

Aoko snorted at him, but he could see the tiniest beginnings of a grin on her and Hakuba's faces. He pulled a face at Hakuba, then went back to enjoying his dessert. Maybe he'd order a triple tier brownie after all. Two servings of it, even. One each for him and Aoko and none for Hakuba, just because. He nodded and did just that.

* * *

He wasn't pedantic to the point of that jerk Hakuba, but the date of that message was imprinted in his mind. Maybe because he kept reading it over and over, as if he was mining for hidden meaning.

It was a Tuesday, 3rd June, 11:54 AM.

(He should have known, that guy knew his schedule so well, he wouldn't have sent a message during Kaito's class if he didn't want Kaito to be late in reading it-)

_I'll be leaving for a while. I don't know when I'll be back, but I won't be using my phone. Thanks for all this time._

Kaito felt his heart stop. He took in a shuddering breath, then took off running.

(Where are you going, Aoko yelled. Break is ending in 15 minutes! He ignored this, his heartbeat thrumming like a hummingbird's wings in his ears.)

He reached the post office with 7 minutes to spare (44 minutes late). He registered for a post box, blindly filling in the required forms. Finally, he received his post box number. The staff stared at him oddly, but served him with a carefully polite smile. He didn't care (-didn't have _time_), leaning back in his chair and punching in a reply.

…_You're not getting off so easily! I demand letters!_

He hesitated, seesawing precariously between a decision, then typed, _Why are you going?_

_I told someone about it. After talking, we made arrangements with my parents. They think travelling will make me feel better and feel less confused. I don't know, but I've been thinking about it more and more, so I told them I'd go. I'm sorry…_

Kaito was typing his reply when another message came in.

_You don't think I'm running away, do you?_

_Sure, but sometimes we all need time to find ourselves again. As long as you come back once you're found._

To me, Kaito thought, and was surprised at himself.

_Okay._

And that was the last word he had from his writer until a post card arrived on the third day in the morning and Kaito scrambled over his cereal and grabbed the postcard from his surprised mother. Thanks, he told her with a mouthful of cereal, and he looked hard at the magnificent city lights on the front of the postcard, before flipping it over. He stared entranced at the words.

So this is his handwriting, he thought.

His mother yelled at him for talking with his mouth full, but her eyes softened as she saw the first truly bright smile emerge from her boy in the past three days.

* * *

AN: Ah… [/laughs] It sounded better in my head. I hope it wasn't too confusing who was saying what line.

This is a two-shot I think. I'll take my time to write this. Thank you very much! C:


	2. A candlelit vigil for the lost

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

* * *

**Chapter 2: For Your Eyes Only**

* * *

The first thing he noticed was that there was no name.

Well, he amended, his writer probably just didn't _know_ what to put for a name.

Next to the _Dear_, was empty space with even a comma next to it, as if politely leaving a space in a queue. The surface of the postcard looked as if it had been worn thin with eraser marks. Kaito could almost see the faint pen marks if he squinted. There was a _Cam Gain I_ (Kaito snickered. He still remembered _that_?), a _Magician_ and even a _Chocolate Maniac_. He tilted the postcard slightly. There was even something that looked remarkably like the sharp, jagged edges of a _K_,but it was blurred out.

Kaito skimmed down to the end of the letter and felt a thrum of shock. His writer had marked the end with, _S_. A vague suspicion formed in his mind, but he quickly brushed it away.

He wasn't a detective after all. Unmasking his writer when he didn't want to be simply wouldn't be sporting.

If S didn't want to state who he was, he would respect him enough not to investigate. (And vice versa, he hoped. After all, if it was _really_ who he thought it was, there was precious little to protect him from discovery.)

Some might have balked at betting their lives on such a thin promise, but Kaito lived life on the edge. (And he trusted his writer. Beyond any simple words he could use to explain, was a connection impossible to ignore between them.) Also, after all this time, he had grown into an understanding with S, and while some might say he lived life recklessly, there was a distinct difference between a _calculated_ risk and taking a complete shot in the dark, and this fell into the calculated risk category. Or so he thought.

(Double guessing himself, he hated doing that, but it was practically the bread-and-butter skill of someone who was both an international criminal, the best friends of a detective and an aspiring police officer and close to members of the police force.)

He shook his head disgustedly. Stop that, idiot, Kaito berated himself. There was thinking that everything was alright, and lying to himself to think everything was alright, and he didn't want to be pathetic enough to do the latter.

He bit his lip. A chess game? A trap? A trick? Which is it?

He thumbed the postcard and read it.

_5__th__ June_

_Dear ,_

_I'm currently staying in a hotel with my parents. I thought it wouldn't have been something I'd like, since where I am is best known for its city life. But the architecture here is so beautiful and classic; I can just stroll here and feast my eyes. And late at night, when the lights are dim and few people are outside, it almost feels like I've stepped back a century. It feels peaceful. My parents used to be very concerned about what time I returned to my hotel, but they can't check all the time, as they're usually very busy at work. It's alright though. They took away all my work and told me I wasn't supposed to do any, as that would be detrimental to the whole point of travelling, which was to de-stress. And figure things out, hopefully._

_Today I walked over a bridge and leant down over the water. Usually river waters are dark and murky, but this one was a clean blue-grey and the bite of the wind stung, but it was fresh and cold. Tourists on the boat waved cheerily to me and I waved back. It's so carefree I sort of wonder what to do with myself, really._

_We'll be around here for until the 24__th__ of June, so you can send letters to this address for a while._

_Maybe I'll drag my parents out to the local amusement park with me. It's very famous. Or maybe not, it might give me a migraine instead, knowing how my mother is. You don't, but I assure you my mother is worse than any six year old child out there. Note to self: Avoid ANY mention of shopping streets, lest it gives her ideas. Or theatres. Or zoos. Perhaps I'll visit the observatory instead. Or instead, I might just take a boat ride down the city canal and back again._

_Maybe I'll do all three. I keep forgetting I don't have work anymore._

_I'm sorry I took so long to get back in contact with you. We had to change flights, so I actually had the opportunity to send you a letter, but I was afraid that if I thought about leaving too much, I'd lose my nerve and turn right back._

_I hope you're doing well too._

_S_

Kaito traced the words with an unsteady finger and laughed quietly under his breath.

You surprise me at every turn, don't you, my writer? He mused. Oh, why had he been so nervous? It was clear that his writer didn't think of any subterfuge at all. It was merely a letter to a close friend or confidant.

He closed his eyes. Now that the nerves were dissipating, the sheer _relief_ that his writer was alive and kicking practically staggered him.

Stop it, he reprimanded himself. You spun yourself into knots earlier by thinking too hard; if you do it again, whatever misunderstanding you get will just be your fault. Accept it, don't ask so many questions and move on. He focused, and picked up a pen, fumbling through his stacks of work on his desk for the least crumpled piece of paper.

No time to lose- he ordered himself. There would already be much time wasted sending the letter from Japan to wherever he was (Copenhagen in Denmark, he thought, from the little clues in the letter and the unmistakable architecture from the row of houses on the flip side of the postcard). And the longer he took to write his reply, the longer it'd take for the reply to fly back to where his writer was, and the longer it'd take for him to get back the next letter!

Simply unacceptable.

He started, _Dear S,_ and snorted. No, stop that, Kaito, he told himself firmly. Don't think of the strange sexual connotations that could come along with the name! His writer would definitely not appreciate you applying your 'grade school humour' to him, no no. Kaito composed himself valiantly, with only the occasional snicker.

_It's past time you wrote to me! But I'm glad you sound well and seem to be enjoying yourself. Seriously though, you sound like you're in such an awesome place and you don't know what to do? Tsk, you need to open up your mind a bit! The best kinds of fun things come naturally. Sometimes, just lying on the grass daydreaming is a good way to pass time too. You don't have to visit all those tourist traps to enjoy yourself._

_Aww, you should take pictures and send them to me! Give poor little me here in Japan a taste of luxury, why don't you? And you really need to fall out of love with your work, tsk, that's a unhealthy relationship you got there! There's duty, and then there's overdoing it, and you've crossed that line miles back. But I'm not going to say too much about it, you've probably heard it a million times if you have once, and I'm sure you have friends and family around you watching to see if you're getting too stressed. And I'll keep an eye out too~_

_I'll forgive you just this once for the transgression. Should you ignore my letters without good reason again, there shall be severe consequences! For now, I will be happy if you'd get me a __Millionbøf__. (Let me tell you, it's no joke trying to write that complicated looking word.) That's a random dish I pulled up on the internet that looked good when I was looking for Danish cuisine. I haven't actually tried it myself, so it'll be your job not to disappoint me, eh?_

_I sense entertaining back stories! TELL ME. What happened at the theatre, shopping centre and zoo? I promise I won't laugh. Or something. Hey, you won't know if I laughed anyway, since you're so far away. What does it matter? It doesn't matter, right? Just tell me!_

_Reply soon and take care of yourself! And don't forget that __Millionbøf!_

He paused over the end. _Shit_, what to write for that? He hadn't revealed himself to his writer after all and his writer hadn't to him either, so it'd be weird to write his real name. He thought for a moment, sighed then scribbled in his chicken scratch.

_K_

* * *

Aoko perched her chin between her hands as she propped her elbow up on the table. Her eyes glinted.

It's coming, Kaito told himself. It's the dreaded wide-eyed innocent look the female species pull when they're about to unleash a devastating blow on your soul and _they know it_. Well, they think they're so secretive and badass but nooo, Kaito has them spotted a mile away and is totally and completely prepared-

"You broke up with your boyfriend, didn't you?" Aoko flickered her eyelashes at Kaito in a deceptively innocent manner. Kaito choked on air and bent over the table, spluttering. Aoko helpfully thumped Kaito on his back. She handed him his water bottle.

Kaito chugged down the water and scowled at her. He knew her game! That devious girl just didn't want her source of entertainment to die before giving her the answer to that ridiculous question. He gave her the evil eye.

Aoko looked nonplussed. "Well?" She demanded, dropping the sweet-as-sugar façade. Her eyes narrowed and she leant in aggressively, a ferocious scowl emerging.

Kaito shook his head frantically.

"Oh." She looked happier. "I thought something bad happened. Because you weren't using your phone so much anymore and you were pretty depressed before. If someone really did bully you, that would have been bad. Because I would have to do something about it." A wide, disturbing smile curled her lips. All Aoko was missing was a diabolic laugh. (But then again, Akako had that base covered.)

Kaito almost felt the temperature drop several degrees and a chill ran down his spine. His eyes darted sideways and met Hakuba's stricken ones. They both edged furtively away from Aoko. It was all Akako's fault, he thought hysterically. Must. Stop. Akako. From. Spreading. Her. Weirdness.

Hakuba coughed, trying to restore a slightly more normal atmosphere to cover the terrified one that had descended the table. "That's unlikely, as I've seen Kuroba running down to the post box to send off letters." He crooked a smile at Kaito. "Probably as his boyfriend has gone abroad."

Kaito stared at Hakuba aggrieved. "What- I don't know why you lot are warning me about strangers when there's _clearly_ a creepy stalker right here! Right in this booth with us! And Hakuba- what the hell- how'd you- Have you been digging through my letters?"

His jaw dropped in outrage as Hakuba's expression remained unrepentant. "They're for him! Not for you!" He huddled protectively away from Hakuba, glowering at him defensively.

"I'm afraid that is impossible." Hakuba intoned dryly. "The mailbox slit is simply too narrow for me to slide my hand through. And it would be considered vandalism of public property if I picked the mailbox lock. Unfortunately, asking the mailman for your letter outright would be a violation against his work ethics so…"

Kaito gaped. "That was what stopped you from stealing my letters?" He felt the world tilt slightly and starbursts behind his eyelids, then tried to steady himself. Don't die yet, he told himself. You haven't gotten Pandora, haven't made the headline news in several small states around the world (Damn country elections for stealing his spotlight!), haven't sent Hakuba packing to become a monk in Timbuktu yet. You can't die from shock, and especially not Hakuba-induced shock. He revived himself gracefully.

Hakuba frowned reproachfully, as if Kaito was an intractable child refusing to believe one plus one is two. "You can be assured that I am fully confidential." He flapped a hand confidently. Surrounding girls swooned as imaginary flowers and rainbow sparkles bloomed around Hakuba's smirking face. Kaito snorted. _Not fooling me, buddy._

I am so going to take a round trip the next time I post my letter, Kaito decided. "And he's not my boyfriend!"

* * *

_11__th__ June_

_Dear K,_

_Photographs, eh? I sent a stack over for you to ogle at. And apologies, my liege, but I'm afraid __Millionbøf isn't quite that easy to package and fly over 8000 kilometres, so you shall simply have to content yourself with a picture I sent you of the dish. If you're not pleased with it, feel free to find more on your own. Google is your best friend._

_Yesterday, I took a stroll after an early dinner. The sky was still bright, and people still milled about the streets. I was walking past a row of quaint, red-bricked houses with warm lights shining behind the lacy-curtained windows. There were cosy sounds of families together inside, and I thought I even heard a violin crooning in the darkening evening. It all felt so homely and tranquil._

_I went on walking until the row of houses ended, at the dim lamp-lit edge of a dull, rugged road, and I turned back. I was shocked- All the windows were drawn and black with darkness now. There was no sign of the liveliness and warmth that was there before._

_Then I passed by a restaurant packing up, and the staff asked me, "It's late! Aren't you going home now? Your family must be worried about you!" I laughed, and said yes, and called for a taxi to head back to the hotel._

_I was a bit relieved and a lot glad._

_I took the canal boat ride a few days ago. I thought it would have been relaxing, but somehow, with the crisp wind sweeping across the river and the chugging of the engine, it felt more exhilarating than a simple boat ride had to be. In a good, exciting heart-pounding way, not in a frightening, the-criminal-is-going-to-get-away-and-grab-a-hostage kind of way. Maybe I should rent a boat._

_No, I won't tell you about the zoo, the shopping centre and the theatre. My God, it sounds like the beginning of a bad joke already._

_Also, I took a photograph of a dessert I ate yesterday that I thought you would like. It looks great, doesn't it?_

_S_

_17__th__ June_

_My darling S,_

_Thank you for thinking about me so much as you explored the area! I'd especially compliment your photographs, especially the numerous ones of food, but the one you sent me of dessert was somewhat indecipherable either due to your impeccable photography skills or overexposure. I'm sure it was overexposure as it can't possibly be the other right? It looked very much like a pile of brains on your bowl, all mushy and goopy._

_And excuses excuses, I still expect that __Millionbøf! I will not be appeased until I get some!_

_Hah! I knew this would happen someday! You see crime peeking around every corner! I know that dead body practically stalk at your heels, but surely there's such a thing as a well-deserved break? Time-out? Rest? Even young children know to clamour for their recess time! Jeez, you're the little nerd in the corner slaving over math homework even after class, I bet. You should enslave your father into helping you with your work. You mentioned before that he was very smart, didn't you?_

_Honestly, how did I become the sensible one in this relationship? Seriously, revert back to your sane self already, being reasonable is boring._

_Or not. Maybe there's an adrenaline junkie hidden behind that nerdy bookworm behaviour! Now that's exciting~_

_Not going to tell? You should give in already, people tell me I'm a persuasive guy. I'll make you a red velvet cake if you tell me~_

_K_

* * *

"You're so sappy." Kaito jumped, scowling at his mother, who had once again snuck into his room.

"Mum!" He chucked the blueprints into a hidden drawer, shielding the action with a swift turn. He grimaced at her. "You can't just ninja your way in here! What if I was doing something?"

His mother smiled at him guilelessly. "Just saying dinner will be soon! Oh, if it's those plans you have to remodel the interior of the First Class sections of that Boeing, I helped you add a few finishing touches to them. I also completely approve of the alligators. Why did you scrap them?" She pouted.

Kaito rolled his eyes and flopped back over his bed. "Because it's not physically possible. The distance covered from Japan to Poland, then France is just way too much. And people might sue for massive property damage."

"Pft, Kaito just isn't awesome enough to defy the will of the planet yet." His mother scoffed. "_I_ could do it. But well, too bad~ You're just going to have to settle for a lukewarm welcome party for your cute little penpal~" She sighed mournfully, as if contemplating the suffering of homeless orphans around the world.

"It is most certainly _not_ a lukewarm welcome," he cried out indignantly, sitting up with a forceful thump. He was _definitely_ going to find a way to incorporate the alligators now! No matter what it took! "I planned for two weeks for this, once I managed to pry his flight details out of him! And you know him, so secretive and everything- It's like he's trying to turn me into a detective." Kaito shuddered. Nono, Kaito, don't let the detective disease spread. Don't breed your competition!

"How horrid," his mother said airily. Kaito belatedly realized that she wasn't just messing up his table; she was examining the colourful string of postcards he had hung up above his desk. "Aww, he's so adorable, when are you going to bring him back home?"

Kaito struggled between righteous anger and amusement. Neither won out, and he was left with a slightly constipated expression on his face. "He's not a puppy." Kaito said grouchily. "And never, if I had my way. So embarrassing."

His mother didn't seem to hear. "You better treat him well, Kaito." She said sternly. "If you hurt his feelings, I'll kick your teeth in."

Kaito gaped at his mother. "Mum!" He whined, "Aren't you supposed to be on my side? He can defend himself anyway. And why does it sound so- Jeez, you're all just pushing us together, aren't you?"

She blinked at him and shrugged. "Well, it's not like you don't want it," She pointed out as if it was a foregone conclusion. "And I'm your mother. I've changed your diapers. I know what you want." She winked at him cheerfully. "By the way, where are my postcards?"

Kaito stared at her blankly.

She frowned. "You know, the ones I sent when I was travelling in the United States when you were in high school! Those postcards?" She puffed out her cheeks like a angry chipmunk. "Don't tell me you lost them?" Her mouth started to twist downwards into a threatening scowl.

Kaito fumbled for an excuse. "Uh-" Better come up with something quick- "They're just… having a sojourn in a box somewhere in my room. Yeah."

Seeing shadows cross her face, he hastily added, "They wanted to be free! So I let them… be? Come on!" He returned the pout petulantly, although it was useless since it was against his mother, the merciless bringer of life. "It was years ago! You can't honestly be annoyed about that!"

"We're having fish for dinner tonight~"

"What- No! Mum! Stop!"

* * *

_16__th__ July_

_K,_

_You should just give up asking already. I'll bring the secret to my grave! Besides, you're doing it all wrong- I don't have a sweet tooth. Bribing me with cakes is a no-go._

_Currently, I'm on a flight headed for Hong Kong. We'll be staying there until the 6__th__ of August. I heard there's a lot of good food to be savoured there. (My mum is extremely excited about the shopping.) After that, we'll be headed back to Europe for my father's research._

_There's a man snoring two seats down from mine. I would be too (Sleeping! Not snoring!), if I wasn't writing this postcard to you. My friend tells me that I have plane narcolepsy, but I don't know. I mean, I feel a little lethargic, but I'm fully awake and alert. The way she makes it out to be, plane seats have a hypnotic hold over me and once I sit down on one, I sleep. I do get what she means though, if I lean just so and close my eyes, next thing I know, I'm waking up to a plane landing announcement._

_I don't know why I'm telling you this; you're probably not a whit interested anyway. I'm just rambling again. I find myself doing that a lot in my letters, which is embarrassing since I always thought I was a concise person and I didn't say unnecessary things. And there's not even a lot of space in these tiny postcards, so I really shouldn't write a lot of rubbish._

_The lack of space makes me feel less pressurized to come up with meaningful things to say, but when sometimes I just see things in my travels that I want to share with you (That happens a lot, surprisingly. I'd just look at a performance or a scene somewhere and think, what would you say about this? or that you'd like to see it or something stupid like that.) it feels like even a lot of paper isn't enough. But reading about babbling like that is boring and I've never been a very eloquent writer anyway, so I don't._

_I have a window seat, which my mother says is wasted on me since all I do is sleep. Sky watching is a bit boring to me though, but I can appreciate how blue and fluffy it looks like outside, though I know it really just is condensation and water._

_Ack, my mum just looked over. She says I'm a boring person who doesn't appreciate nature. I do, but not this. Mum, just go away already. Your eyeliner is crooked. Your handbag is sticking out into the aisle so you need to fix it and stop tripping hapless flight attendants. Your hair is falling out of its style. Your heavy mouth breathing into my ear is ticklish and disrupting my thoughts._

_Ah shit! Sorry, my mum smacked me and the pen tip dragged over the card accidentally. Er, I'm going to go now before my mum gets more curious and manages to rip apart the postcard in her doubtlessly fruitless attempts to get it away from me._

_Also, will you stop asking for the __Millionbøf? It was two countries ago! Keep up with the times!_

_S_

_P.S. Stop with the ridiculous salutations. They grew old yesterday!_

_22__nd__ July_

_To the light of my life, S_

_You monster! How can anyone not like cakes?! Outrageous! Despicable! Atrocious! Unless it's coffee cake. Eurgh, coffee cake. That abomination doesn't deserve to be called a cake, it's so bitter and thick and… eurgh._

_You have no worries, I'm the King of Babble! All Babblians bow to me! I am unbeatable in ramble! Do not underestimate my gift for the gab! I'd prove it to you right now, but you might throw the letter out of your hotel window and where would this sexy gossip boy be? A prattler without a victim- I mean listening ear, that's what I'll be. But you love me, don't you? You wouldn't want to break my squishy and tender heart, right? Of course not!_

_You can feel free to tell anything you want to me, baby~ I'll read anything and everything from you. Besides, I'm sure your imagination is wonderful and everything, but it can't possibly match up to the real me. Getting the proper responses from the actual (awesome) package is the best, isn't it?_

_I don't know what you mean about you being boring. You should really stop being silly and putting down yourself- Would I really be reading this and replying so faithfully if I were bored? Me, really? I'm always happy to get your letters. No matter how long or short they are, they don't lack your personality and feelings, so it's always enough for me._

_And I'm never giving up on that __Millionbøf! I insist on that dish, seriously you've been putting it off for ages! It's your fault that you left the country before you could get me a proper one! (I'm getting used to writing that word now. Heh, at least I'll recognize one dish on a Danish menu.)_

_Er, talking about your parents, has your father forgiven me for calling him your slave? Please tell me he has, I'm tired of sleeping with my lights on._

_K_

_P.S. Never, darling~_

* * *

Hakuba stepped in front of him. Kaito raised an eyebrow curiously. While the determined furrow of brows and lowering of head reminded Kaito remarkably of a bull gearing up to charge, his expression conveyed that Hakuba would much rather be anywhere else but here. Kaito frowned and tried to remember if he'd done anything ba-worse than normal to him. He eyed Hakuba's shiny brown leather loafers. Nah, he hasn't found out about the shoes yet, he decided happily.

Apparently Hakuba had interpreted Kaito's frown as unhappiness. "No, I'm not going to do anything," Hakuba said stiffly. "I just wanted to talk to you about…" He tapered off reluctantly.

"About what?" Kaito looked confused. Had he really found out about the shoes? The reaction was a lot milder than he thought he would get though. He stared at Hakuba suspiciously.

He straightened up, seeming to have found his resolve. Kaito felt slightly disappointed, it was funny to see the normally arrogant Hakuba so hesitant. "About your friend. The penpal." Hakuba stared at Kaito intently. "I've only seen a few excerpts of your letters… but do you know who you're writing to?"

"Of course not, how could I?" Kaito lied cheerfully without missing a beat. He wrinkled his nose. "Are you going to warn me about stranger danger again? Jeez, aren't you guys tired of that spiel? It's getting old."

Hakuba continued staring at Kaito unblinkingly. Kaito gazed back with wide-eyed confusion. Hakuba huffed and shook his head, as if he was a duck shaking off water. "Well… Never mind. I don't pretend to understand you and I'm sure I don't want to know what games you're playing here."

He turned away, then hesitated. "There have been a series of train jacking incidents in Europe lately. If your friend wishes to travel by train from country to country, he should be careful." He muttered under his breath, but Kaito's sharp ears picked it up. "But if it's him, he'll definitely be unable to avoid finding trouble."

Kaito agreed fervently behind his befuddled façade. _Got that right._

Hakuba looked at Kaito directly. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Kaito felt an electric jolt through his spine. He concealed it with a wicked laugh. "Why, Hakuba, is that an invitation?"

They continued exchanging more verbal barbs, but Kaito was thinking. Kaito considered thanking him for the warning, but Hakuba would probably be freaked out by that unusual behavior, that perverse and contrary bastard. _Actually…_ Kaito smirked. Hakuba, his Kaito-is-up-to-no-good senses honed over the years no doubt tingling, slid him a side glance that promised retribution. Kaito was undeterred.

"Get off me! What are you doing?"

"Why, I'm thanking you, my honey bunny~ You're so concerned about us!"

"Wait-What?! Are you mentally ill? Sick? Dying? Argh, stop strangling me!"

"No!"

* * *

They watched as Kaito scribbled across the letter paper, occasionally doodling some pictures at the side to accompany the words. Keiko poked Aoko. "He looks so... so," she struggled for words.

_In love_, Aoko filled in, but didn't quite dare to say out loud. She watched the vivid play of emotions across his face.

Keiko prodded Aoko again. Aoko poked her back until Keiko subsided with little cries for mercy. "Don't you feel a bit sorry you missed that? You could have been the one after all." She tipped her head in Kaito's direction.

"Kaito's always mean to me," Aoko retorted instinctively. "And we're not like that!"

"I know," Keiko sighed dramatically. "And sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't have teased you so much. All that just made you lot go," Keiko parodied in a teeny high voice which made Aoko squeak in embarrassment and smack her. "'Hahaha, very funny. I'm _never_ going to date him or her, so there!' God, the both of you are so stubborn."

Aoko turned away from Keiko, hiding the flush on her cheeks. Kaito had stopped writing and was pouring over the letter, the intentness in his eyes making Aoko flinch. The corner of his mouth tilted upwards slightly as if he was imagining a funny scene. She tracked it with a slight upwards twitch to her lips, feeling gladder for the familiarity. A serious Kaito was a rare thing, but didn't always bode well.

"Ah, I saw that!" Aoko jumped in surprise and swung around to face Keiko's accusatory finger. Keiko leant in, an unusual pinch to her usual light-hearted expression. "You know, if you really liked Kaito, we could do something about it. Don't let _that_," she nodded at Kaito and his letter, "stop you."

Aoko blinked at Keiko stunned. Keiko bit her lip but carried on forcefully.

"If you're thinking about that _garbage_ about when you love someone, if he's happy, you're happy, that's so, so wrong-" She smacked her elbows on Aoko's table, making the pens and surrounding students jump. "-so _wrong_. You'd be sad and miserable and think, _what if_. I don't want that to happen to you, Aoko." Keiko murmured, gazing at Aoko plaintively.

Aoko realized with a burst of shock. Keiko was _worried_ about her.

"It's not like that!" She hurried to reassure her best friend. Keiko looked unconvinced. "We're just good friends. And happy to be good friends." She tacked on.

Keiko's dispirited expression clearly said, _You always say that_.

Aoko frowned. She snuck another look at Kaito's bowed head. He was writing again.

"I guess… Maybe, if things happened, we could have gotten together," Aoko said slowly. It felt as if the words were being dragged out of her soul. "But they didn't happen and _this_ happened. It's not a bad thing. I suppose I could have been happy with him as his girlfriend. But I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything by being his friend either." She sighed and tugged at a draping trail of messy curls. "I don't know how to explain it."

Keiko's unhappy expression had lifted. She looked thoughtful. Aoko had been confused by the mechanics of her own confession, but hey, if it made sense to Keiko, it was good, right?

An awkward silence descended as Aoko refused to go on and Keiko didn't seem likely to come out of her reverie anytime soon. The lecturer came in and the drone of class begun. When the students started to fidget restlessly as the end of class approached, the lecturer finally ended the lesson and flocks of students left. Kaito bounced up to her, chattering about lunch and _scones_ and _watermelon_ and _that great Chinese food from the second last stall of the canteen._ Aoko stared at Keiko worriedly. There was an inscrutable expression on her face.

"Oh, alright!" Keiko's sudden exclamation startled even Kaito into shutting up. Keiko grabbed her hands and clasped them together tightly. "I'm still not happy about it, but whatever. Next time you like anyone, _tell me_. I'll bag him for you." Keiko's fierce expression made Aoko reconsider telling her, but to regain blood circulation in her quickly numbing hands, she was forced to agree.

Kaito looked from Keiko to Aoko bewildered. "Er… Should I be calling the police on the event of a missing person?" He ventured tentatively.

"No!" Keiko and Aoko shouted.

"We'll put him back later." Keiko assured him. Her glasses flashed menacingly.

Kaito gave them a dubious look and walked away, muttering _And I thought I was the international criminal here…_ Aoko blinked and shrugged. They caught up with Kaito and Kaito regaled them with the joys of food and how much his mother spent on her Rilakkuma splurge that weekend_._ ("-No, I don't care if there's a 40% discount, that's still five erasers that she refuses to use because she'll be sad if the ears fell off or something ridiculous like that-")

She'd probably misheard anyway.

* * *

_11__th__ August_

_I've had enough of it! Don't you dare do weird welcoming parties at the arrival halls anymore! It was so mortifying when I stepped into the arrival hall and saw all that nonsense. (What the hell was with those alligators? You freaked out a lot of people there.) My mother and father wouldn't stop laughing at me. I think I worried some people because I turned so red, one of the flight attendants asked if I was ill. No more of that, seriously, or you can forget about worrying about my dad being in touch with Japanese ninjas; I'll be the one to hire a mercenary to assassinate you. Maybe a Chinese triad. It's on the same continent after all. Or would the Italian mafia be better and so much more unexpected since I'm closer?_

_Don't underestimate me! I'm warning you, I have connections._

_It's been fun here, although I haven't been very long. We're near water again and I've been spending a lot of time at the beach. Sometimes I wish there are less people though, but it can't be helped, since it's the peak period for travelling._

_My parents seemed to have relaxed more now and they don't seem so wary that I'd dive off the deep end as much as when we first started. They haven't asked me when I'd like to go back to school, but it's only a matter of time. As fun as this has been, I can't spend the whole of my life just drifting from place to place after all. Too much of it would make me feel jittery and uncomfortable, I'm afraid. It's not that I'm addicted to work, just that I'm so much happier if I'm busy with something._

_I guess I'm not explaining it very well._

_I thought that by leaving, I'd be able to find the answers to my problems, but it doesn't seem like that has happened. Though of course, I don't regret going away. There is some truth to my mother's advice on how distance makes people see problems more clearly, but what I really wanted to know was how to fit back into my place in life again. It seems that everyone has moved on while I was stuck in the same spot. Sometimes I'd do things that surprise them and they don't say anything, but the looks on their faces say 'The old me would never do that.' And I just don't know what to do with these expectations._

_It was foolish; I don't know what I was thinking that life would stand still for me. Sometimes I think that I'll never be able to figure it out and I feel rather depressed._

_It's really stupid, isn't it? It's so contradictory that I chose to go away again to find out how to fix the issue when the whole problem stems from me going away for too long in the first place._

_This is really depressing. I thought of not sending this, but it did make me feel better after writing it down. I completely understand if you just ignore this letter, so I'll send a more cheerful one later._

_S_

_17__th__ August_

_S,_

_You can't forget the salutations! What if weird blond stalkers pick up the mail and read it, thinking that since no one is addressed, it's perfectly fine for them to read? In case any weird blond British stalkers are reading this, NO, this is not for you! Shoo! Go away!_

_Don't tell me what to do! I told you before- Pft, as if I would ever ignore things like that. Just who do you think I am? Of course I care. And expressing your emotions is a good thing, stop hiding under your shell already._

_I don't know the full circumstances of your problem, but maybe you need to put aside your expectations. Stop thinking like you have to do this-and-this-and-that within a timeframe, it's very stressful and some matters can't be rushed, especially relationships._

_Maybe you need to follow your request in the first message that you sent me. Have a long talk with them. Maybe even two long talks. As many long talks as it would take. Things change, but change isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's just how life goes on._

_And no, I don't think having problems is stupid. It's very human and you're human, you know._

_K_

_P.S. Okay, I won't do the alligators trick at the Roissy Airport again. Pink promise~_

_23__rd__ August_

_K,_

_I'm sure I don't want to know the back story of that greeting._

_I read through your letter many times. It wasn't any spectacular advice I hadn't heard before, mind you… But I decided to try it._

_I contacted people at home and I thought the most favourable response I could get was lukewarm at best… But it turned out they've been very angry and are impatiently waiting for my correspondence. Apparently the letters kept being returned because we kept moving from hotel to hotel very quickly and they kept missing us somehow. It was very surprising, to say of the least._

_I don't have much to say here, but I'm so happy right now. It just feels like a lucky break I haven't got in… forever._

_S_

_P.S. No, rejected. NO TRICKS AT ANY AIRPORT._

_29__th__ August_

_S_

_That's so great! I sent along a picture of a fruit cake I made to celebrate! Isn't it pretty? It's strawberries and kiwi and… some random fruit that looked yummy. A peach. Or something. It's vanilla flavor as the base. I personally think the strawberry pocky is a stroke of genius myself._

_Anyway, I was looking through the photos you included. Tsk, what on earth is happening in the last few ones? You should be arrested for crimes against dancing._

_Luck? You don't appreciate your luck, you met me, didn't you? It must be a once in a blue moon kind of thing. You could have gotten a grumpy old guy who barked at you 'wrong number!' or a nosy British dude that pried into your business or a serial murderer that'll hunt you down. Come to think of it the last two are very nearly the same things…_

_Where are you going next by the way? I thought you were leaving France soon._

_K_

_P.S. Spoilsport. Killjoy. Wet blanket. Party pooper._

_4__th__ September_

_K,_

_Those aren't pictures of me! Those are professional performers! I can't believe you just said that. I bet you just said bad things because you thought that was me._

_And great that you mastered the use of a thesaurus by the way. Absolutely splendid._

_Our next meeting won't have anything to do with luck, I assure you._

_I think I'm ready to head back to Tokyo. Count on seeing me the next full moon, you don't have to tell me where and when, I'll know how to find you._

_Shinichi_

_P.S. __I'll bring the __Millionbøf._

* * *

OMAKE: IF THEY USED IM INSTEAD OF LETTERS/PHONE MESSAGES

K: You hurt my feelings! D8 GROVEL!

S: Uhm. Sorry?

K: Shower me with compliments! ; AAAAAA ;

S: Erm…

S: No one has ever thought your feet looked gross.

K: What?

S: You've never had morning breath. I swear.

K: The hell? D: How would you know?

S: You actually looked super graceful that time you tripped in front of everyone.

S: I would totally trust you to dog-sit over a long weekend.

S: People at Trivia Night are terrified of you.

S: WTF is this

K:…

K: Are you even trying?

S: Damn you, emergencycompliment . com

* * *

AN: That's that. :| I had my doubts about this but... Thank you so much for all the responses and reading! OTL Even if you didn't review, I was still very motivated to churn out the last chapter ahaha. I'm sorry this took a while, but I got eaten by a plotbunny that actually swelled bigger than this fic at last count and is still growing = m = [/eyes ActionKaiShin word doc]

Thanks for being an awesome audience, and I hope this lived up to your expectations! If it didn't, I'm very sorry OTL

Any mistakes in locations mentioned are mine and I'm sure they're way more awesome than I described them to be D:

Additional Note: Ah, I didn't want to make it so obvious but... There is a reason why I didn't include Kaito's reaction to the last letter. The hints are scattered all around the story :D It's pretty open ended though, so it'd be fun if you could tell me what you thought. And no, I don't think I'll be writing another chapter, the theme'd be completely different xD This story is about their long distance relationship and secrecy. Kinda. Thanks again!


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